Being Judgmental....and How To Stop It!!!

I feel like at times I really struggle with being judgmental. Like today, in response to someone's blog, I felt genuinely irritated and judged them to be cruel. My biggest trigger is other people's character. I find myself judging others to be "mean" or "cruel" or "ignorant" and sometimes lose sight of all their other, positive qualities. Because the truth is, we are all mean, and cruel, and ignorant, at times. But those qualities don't define our character as a whole. 

I don't want to be judgmental. But aren't we all, to a certain extent?? How can I negate my judgement?

Here are some ideas: 

1. Focus On The Reasons *Why*. Why are they acting or behaving a certain way? Why do I feel so strongly about it? What are the underlying reasons? For example, I may come across a person who is anti-gay marriage, and that's a really strong trigger for me to basically consider them an "asshole". But they may just be ignorant (which is ok! we are all ignorant about something) about the topic or were raised with really strict anti-gay propaganda. Should I consider them a shit person because of their one belief without knowing the root cause, a cause they may have no control over? No! Which leads me to number 2...

2. Try to Change It. Either change their offending perspective by educating or sharing my opinion in a civil and polite way, or try to change how strongly I feel about the topic by educating myself. 

3. Make Excuses. For them, I mean. That person is having a bad day. That person is just venting their frustrations. That person "doesn't really mean it". Because chances are, at least some of the time, those excuses will be right on the money. 

4. Think Positive. Focus on their good qualities. Appreciate how kind they can be, or how charitable they are. 

Finally 5. Be an Instigator for Change.....on a Grand Scale. If something people do, or don't do, really bothers me, than maybe I should use that energy to do something positive. Fund-raise for causes I believe in. Walk in 5ks. Be open about MY opinion (in a polite and civil way) like for example, waving that rainbow flag or openly discussing trans rights. Instead of just hating on other opinions and judging people's characters for having them, I should stay committed and strong in my own beliefs. Let it put a fire beneath me!

Don't hate on others....spread love, kindness, and acceptance instead.